Archive for October, 2011

BLS Releases Annual Workplace Injury and Illness Report (2010)

Oct. 28th, 2011

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report of workplace injuries and illnesses for 2010, on Thursday, October 20th. BLS findings show a steady decline in the number of accidents for US workers since 2002. In 2010, nearly 3.1 million nonfatal, recordable incidents were reported in the private sector. The industry incident rate has reduced from 3.6 to 3.5 out of every 100 full time workers from 2009 to 2010. The BLS found that total recordable incidence rates are highest among companies with 50 to 249 employees and lowest among small employers, fewer than 11 employees. Within the incident rate, the total number of other recordable cases significantly lowered, while the number of cases with days away from work and job transfer/restriction (DART) cases stayed constant. These DART cases accounted for over half of the 3.1 million incidents in 2010 and occurred at a rate of 1.8 cases per 100 full time workers. Work related illnesses make up an extremely small portion of all recordable cases with 200,000 out of 3.1 million cases being classified as such. Manufacturing was the only industry sector to have an increase in the Total Recordable Incidence Rate (TRIR) for 2010. The TRIR increased from 4.3 to 4.4 cases per 100 full-time US workers. This increase can mainly be attributed to the decline in hours worked being larger than the decline in incidents in the industry. The manufacturing industry accounted for over 30 percent of all private sector illnesses. With an incidence rate of 41.9 cases per 10,000 workers, manufacturing claims the highest rate of all sectors. The public sector reported 820,300 recordable cases for state and local government workers in 2010, resulting in a significantly higher incident rate (5.7 cases per 100 workers) than the private sector. Nearly 80 percent of all injuries and illnesses reported in the public sector occur among local government workers, such as emergency response, educational, and health departments. Local government makes up the highest incident rate category with 6.1 out of every 100 workers injured. The overall decline in injuries and illnesses not only allows for a safer working environment, but also helps employers avoid costs incurred by these injuries each year. Resources: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=20883 http://www.lanereport.com/articles/fastlane_article.cfm?id=report_nearly_31_nonfatal_workplace_injuries_and_illnesses_reported_in_2010 http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf

Carbon Tax Passes in Australia

Oct. 20th, 2011

There were many opposing views last week in Hobart, Australia as the lower house of Parliament, led by Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, voted to adopt the second-largest emissions trading proposal in the world, the first being the European Union. The bill would enforce a carbon tax on 500 of the country’s biggest polluters, starting in July of 2012, before transitioning into a market-based trading scheme in 2015. It narrowly passed through a divided House of Representatives with a vote of 74 to 72. About 80 anti-carbon tax protesters flooded the parliament-viewing gallery, criticizing and taunting Ms. Gillard, bringing government business to a virtual standstill. Before the vote, Ms. Gillard stated, “Today is a significant day for Australians and the Australians of the future who want to see a better environment.” Although it is expected to pass the Senate next month, the opposition of the Liberal Party was very quick to dispute the passage of the proposal. The bill sets an initial price of $23.15 per ton of carbon, while guaranteeing billions of dollars in compensation for consumers and businesses alike. Tony Abbott, the opposition leader says that the plan would prove disastrous for Australia’s economy, which relies heavily on resource extraction. He is fighting to repeal the bill, stating, “We can repeal the tax, we will repeal the tax, we must repeal the tax. This is a pledge in blood. This tax will go.” Tim Jordan, a supporter of the bill and Senior Analyst at Deutsche Bank in Sydney, says that this type of fierce opposition to the bill is being driven by political, not financial, orthodoxy. He states, “The impact on most businesses is modest. Businesses that are ready for a world where carbon is priced, such as electricity utilities with renewable generators in their portfolio, will do well. Many high-emitting industries will receive free carbon allowances, giving them time to adjust to a carbon price.” Regardless of the position many Australians find themselves in, Ms. Gillard continues to argue that Australia is one of the world’s largest polluters per capita and can no longer ignore its global responsibilities. Resources: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/world/asia/australias-lower-house-narrowly-passes-carbon-tax.html?_r=2&ref=energy-environment

Lacey Act Benefits American Logging and Forestry

Oct. 14th, 2011

The 111-year-old Lacey Act has recently been the subject of much debate in the wood and paper industry. The Lacey Act was originally passed to protect plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal consequences for the illegal taking, transporting, or selling of these resources. In 2008, U.S. lawmakers passed an amendment to extend the act to cover wood and illegal logging practices. The amendment has created problems for some U.S. based companies, while others have benefited. The Lacey Act requires all companies who are importing wood into the United States to document the product’s entire supply chain. This ensures that illegal forestry in developing countries is not profiting from U.S. capital. The enforcement of this act benefits wood product- makers by removing cheap, illegally logged wood from the U.S. market. Other wood importers feel that the law is vague and could punish those who believe they are in compliance. Trying to stay in compliance requires complicated documentation of each supply chain, recording the wood’s journey from origin to retailer. Chris Martin, CEO of guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., stated “compliance is complicated. The law requires the company, which buys rosewood from India and ebony from Africa, to document the entire supply chain of its purchases.” Martin explained that suppliers were wary to divulge information in fear of the guitar maker cutting them out of the purchase. Many American companies have moved away from importing woods from Asia and Africa to logging domestically in order to abide by this law. This has helped American wood producers’ business. Some argue that the extra paperwork will not affect most producers in the lumber, wood, and paper industry as this applies to exotic woods. In recent news, the enforcement has been focused on musical instrument and high-end furniture manufacturers that use these exotic varieties in their production. “The Justice Department has made it fairly clear that this is a law that they intend to enforce, and they will partner with other agencies on the ground to enforce the law,” said Laura Duncan, a San Francisco attorney who specializes in the act. Most believe that the amendment will focus on the larger, more sophisticated companies’ supply chain processes and buying patterns; however, the government’s choice of who to investigate is a matter of debate in the wood-products industry. Resources: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903895904576544930331756462.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jake-schmidt/lacey-act_b_992719.html

Ontario Safety Blitz Focuses on Personal Protective Equipment

Oct. 7th, 2011

October inspections in Ontario, Canada will focus on personal protective equipment during an enforcement blitz at industrial and health care workplaces. The purpose of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is to reduce or prevent a worker’s exposure to occupational health and safety hazards. Potential hazards can include blows to the body, loud noises, heat, chemicals, and electrical hazards. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, PPE acts as a barrier to these hazards and includes all types of protective clothing including helmets, shoes, goggles, respirators and other safety gear. Ontario’s safety blitz will focus on head, eye, and foot protection. However, inspectors may also address other types of protection, such as fall, respiratory, skin and hearing PPE. Inspectors of some priority areas will focus on PPE that protects the eye, head and foot, and will also address any other hazards that may be found. They will focus on safety gear used by workers in the following industries: wood and metal fabrication, vehicle sales and service, food and beverage, wholesalers, and education. In health care workplaces, the blitz will check for safety gear being used or worn by non-clinical staff in the dietary services, housekeeping/environmental services, and maintenance shops departments. Inspectors will be checking for whether or not the requirements related to the use and care of PPE are being met, as specified in the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act. All employers, supervisors, and workers have both duties and responsibilities under this act regarding PPE. This blitz is ensuring that all requirements are being met and that workers and employers alike are maintaining all PPE in proper condition. Resources: http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pdf/fs_ppe.pdf http://www.safety-reporter.com/articleprint.aspx?articleid=11151